Shanghai Knights – A one-two punch of fun!
The Guys – A celebration of the human spirit!
Ghosts of the Abyss – You’ve never seen anything like it!
Down with Love – Pure fun!
The Italian Job – The surprise hit of the summer! Smart, thrilling and hilarious with a chase scene to end all chase scenes.
Pirates of the Caribbean – Total excitement and a total original!
Seabiscuit – Glorious!
American Wedding – The summer’s funniest movie! Finally, a sequel worth seeing! A great cast!
Once Upon a Time in Mexico - Johnny Depp does it again; he's as good as it gets.
Under the Tuscan Sun – Funny and touching! This is the most beautiful film of the year! Tuscan Sun is for everyone.
Matchstick Men – Nicolas Cage is Oscar-bound! Hilarious, touching, thrilling.
Duplex – Part Meet the Parents and part There’s Something About Mary! Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore are adorable together! It’s a wicked comedy!
The Rundown – Packed with originality.
Intolerable Cruelty - Its Classic! George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones are a laugh riot!
Paycheck – One of the most exciting films of the year…A terrific story. The thrills start early and never let go!

Last edited by Erik The Movieman on Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:36 pm; edited 8 times in total

Isn't it a little arrogant to assault critic quotes for movies you didn't like,and call them whores. I understand a lot of critics do whore themselves for money and name recognition. But, just because they liked a movie that you didn't doesn't necessarily make them a whore for saying so. Many movies this year (such as Gods and Generals, Life of David Gale, even The Matrix have had vastly different opinions about them. You are not the end all be all of whether a movie is good, if that were true, then your gushing reviews of movies could be spun around on you, and you could be the whore.

Isn't it a little arrogant to assault critic quotes for movies you didn't like,and call them whores. I understand a lot of critics do whore themselves for money and name recognition. But, just because they liked a movie that you didn't doesn't necessarily make them a whore for saying so. Many movies this year (such as Gods and Generals, Life of David Gale, even The Matrix have had vastly different opinions about them. You are not the end all be all of whether a movie is good, if that were true, then your gushing reviews of movies could be spun around on you, and you could be the whore.

How impartial would it be if I just chastised the whores for movies that I did NOT like. If you did a little more research, you would see that I LIKE a number of the movies listed amongst the ranks of the critics listed.

What we're doing with Criticwatch is not chastising for taste (although some of theirs is clearly in their ass) but trying to inform the public how the quote system works. The names listed are the ones who are quoted the most or have potentially stepped into the dark side. What happened to someone like Peter Travers who used to be so hard to please but is now intent on pleasing almost everyone?

Isn't it a little arrogant to assault critic quotes for movies you didn't like,and call them whores. I understand a lot of critics do whore themselves for money and name recognition. But, just because they liked a movie that you didn't doesn't necessarily make them a whore for saying so.

One of the major problems we have with these types of critics is the money trail.
Whether we agree or disagree with their assessment of the movie isn't always the issue.
The issue is what is the critic getting in return for a favorable review? Free vacations? Studio favors? Publicity?

Being paid for services rendered makes you a whore.

-M_________________One should always aim at being interesting rather than exact

Whore, slut, whatever. If you ain't gettin' paid, you're at least gettin' laid!_________________I shouldn't get high to come up with ideas. I should come up with ideas, and THEN get high, to reward myself!

Let me ask you a question: When did you and Roger Ebert get married? Or is this just a secret crush you have with him.
Seriously, let's get real here. I understand the point of your article, and your entire existence it would seem, but let's not single out individuals here. The "most recognized and respected film critic in the country", is a little thick, don't you think? And BTW, he already has a new co-host if that was you going for. And how do you think he got any reputation at all, by giving his opinion. He is no different than anyone else. (I mean, he gave a good rating to the Hulk, probably one of the worst films of the summer.) He may be well known and respected, but he, like most members of the Academy, do not think like the average movie-goer. He stopped thinking that way a long time ago. Now, I don’t want to get off topic here, so I won't ramble on about my obvious disagreement with the critiquing styles of Mr. Ebert, in fact I think he and I are what this country are all about, the right to disagree.
All that being said, you should look at every critic equally. Roger has had just as many stereotypic quotes as any of the people in your column, yet his is not listed at all. Just a few examples:
A fun monster movie
sad, tender, wise and beautiful
genuinely scary
touching
rare amalgam of funny, sweet, action-packed and inspiring
Audiences will be riveted
tell[s an] uplifting story
ingenious and lovely
big, exciting, opulently designed, gorgeously shot and blessed with a top cast
the rare movie that turns cruelty into art
striking, subtle
gradually riveting
combines brisk action with compelling drama
"A sophisticated, unpredictable mystery
richly rewarding and uplifting
A movie miracle

Again, I get your point, I am not stupid, but movie critics are like every other form of marketing. And yes, they are all marketing flunkies for the movie industry. If you want a true movie review, ask someone who paid $8 out their own pocket. I would give my left arm to get paid to see free movies, eat free popcorn and drink free soda, and then write about the movie. Nice job, second only to being a professional sports star. Of course more than half the reviews are great. I will leave you with this last question: How long would any reviewer last, if they found a flaw in every movie? Just be fair, everyone is someone's whore.

There's a difference between disagreeing with someone's opinion and a group of people whoring themselves out at junkets.

True, not every critic on this list is a "junket whore" (THOSE people are clearly listed) - the rest of the people are up-for-grabs. Who do YOU trust? I've disagreed with Ebert on more occasions than I can count and double that for Mr. Roeper. But taste is not what this list is about, otherwise I'd just list movies that "I" did not like._________________Erik Childress
Online Film Critics Society / Chicago Film Critics Association
Nick Digilio - WGN Radio Chicago

Final Destination 2 – Smooth and sharp…slyly choreographed.
Holes – The best film released by an American studio so far this year.
A Mighty Wind – Something of a miracle.
Spellbound – More suspenseful than any Hollywood thriller and more thrilling than the seventh game of the World Series
Down with Love – Thoroughly charming!
The Eye – Before the opening credits even concluded – The Eye had already reduced me to a state of trembling, goose-bumped dread. Rarely has the basic nature of visual perception seemed so frightening. But what is most impressive about The Eye is its delicacy.
Lawless Heart – Delightful and absorbing.
The Man Without a Past - Hilarious
Swimming Pool – Clever and teasing! Entertainment with a delicious final twist! Charlotte Rampling is an actress of infinite nuance!
Northfork – Dreamy and entrancing! At a moment when so many films strive to be as obvious and interchangeable as possible, it is gratifying to find one that is puzzling, subtle and handmade. Refuses to mark the boundary between dream and reality!
Johnny English – Johnny English won me over.
Dirty Pretty Things – Chiwetel Ejiofor gives the most indelible performance in recent movie history.
Freaky Friday – Jamie Lee Curtis brings energetic wit to this delightful movie!
And Now Ladies and Gentleman – Delightful! Claude Lelouch’s undisguised pleasure is contagious!
To Be and To Have - (A) portrait of an artist... whose work unfolds mysteriously and
imperceptibly... in some enchanted, half-submerged realm.
In This World - …To be in this world is to be alive.
Duplex – A refreshing comedy with sharp, double-edged humor! It’s ingenious!
Mystic River – Mystic River is the rare American movie that aspires to-and achieves-the full weight and darkness of tragedy. Sean Penn is almost beyond the praise. It’s not only one of the best performances of the year, but also one of the definitive pieces of screen acting in the last half-century. Kevin Bacon is superb.
Sylvia – Sex and poetry are linked in this film as if by a high-tension wire! Gwyneth Paltrow has a vivid, passionate presence. Daniel Craig’s sexual magnetism is palpable.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 – The undeniable passion that drives Kill Bill is fascinating, even endearing. The long intricate climax feels as insouciant and elegant as a show-stopping musical number/ Which, in essence, it is.
Shattered Glass – An astute and gripping drama!
Elf – A brisk bouncy comedy…likely to spread real joy!
Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World – Stupendously entertaining! Breathlessly absorbing. Impressive. Master & Commander hums with Humor, Passion and Life.
The Barbarian Invasions – An incisive tableau of sexuality. Sophisticated and beautiful to watch! It’s had enormous success at the overseas box office and it’s easy to see why._________________Erik Childress
Online Film Critics Society / Chicago Film Critics Association
Nick Digilio - WGN Radio Chicago

Last edited by Erik The Movieman on Mon Nov 24, 2003 1:26 am; edited 6 times in total

TWO THUMBS UP!(2003 - 71 Quotes)
All the Real Girls, Daredevil, Lost in La Mancha, Shanghai Knights, Tears of the Sun, View from the Top, Bend It Like Beckham, Phone Booth, Ghosts of the Abyss, xx/xy, Identity, City of Ghosts, Spellbound, X2: X-Men United, The Shape of Things, Winged Migration, Down with Love, L’Auberge Espagnole, Bruce Almighty, The Italian Job, Hollywood Homicide, Hulk, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Lawless Heart, Seabiscuit, American Wedding, Dirty Pretty Things, Freaky Friday, S.W.A.T., Open Range, Passionada, The Magdalene Sisters, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, Dummy, Anything Else, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, The Rundown, Under the Tuscan Sun, School of Rock, The Station Agent, Veronica Guerin, Runaway Jury, Brother Bear, The Human Stain, The Matrix Revolutions, Elf, Love Actually, Shattered Glass, Tupac Resurrection, Looney Tunes: Back In Action, 21 Grams, The Cooler, The Last Samurai, Stuck On You, Something’s Gotta Give, Mona Lisa Smile, House of Sand and Fog, Cold Mountain, Cheaper By The Dozen

TWO BIG THUMBS UP or WAY UP!
Raising Victor Vargas, Better Luck Tomorrow, Man on the Train, The Matrix Reloaded, Finding Nemo, Swimming Pool, American Splendor, Matchstick Men, Lost in Translation, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, The Barbarian Invasions_________________Erik Childress
Online Film Critics Society / Chicago Film Critics Association
Nick Digilio - WGN Radio Chicago

Last edited by Erik The Movieman on Sat Dec 27, 2003 2:31 pm; edited 11 times in total